


Talk Me Down

by RedLeaderfic



Category: World Wrestling Entertainment
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Episode Tag, Fade to Black, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-14 00:56:27
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,021
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13582617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RedLeaderfic/pseuds/RedLeaderfic
Summary: He and Shinsuke made a deal back in NXT and Corey Graves is damned if he's not going to live up to it.





	Talk Me Down

**Author's Note:**

  * For [chasesstarlight](https://archiveofourown.org/users/chasesstarlight/gifts).



> Happy Chocolate Box reveals day! Set after Hell In A Cell.

Corey had finally unpacked after the long drive and hung up his suit for the next day’s RAW – well, later that day’s RAW now – when his phone rang. It never failed, every time he was dumb enough to split a car with Byron there was no peace for the rest of the night. _This is why you have to beg for rides, Saxton._ He debated just letting it go to voicemail for two more rings before groaning and flopping over backward across the bed. Ignoring Byron Saxton never worked, it was like trying to ignore a mosquito loose in your room, no matter how hard you tried to sleep it would just keep buzzing in your ear all night and you would still be regretting not slapping it down days later. 

He was tired enough for it to be tempting though. With a heavy sigh Corey lifted his head to look at his phone, trying to come up with something cutting to say when he answered, then _dove_ to answer it when he saw whose name actually was blinking on the screen.

Shinsuke’s voice was soft but distant, like he was calling from the bottom of a well. “I can’t sleep.” 

Corey kicked himself for being stupid enough to get in a car tonight. “Fuck. Look, hey, I’m not in the state any more, I’m already in Indianapolis.”

“Oh. Of course. I’d forgotten.”

“I’m not saying I’m not coming,” Corey said, starting to throw a change of clothes into a bag before deciding fuck it, what he had on was probably fine, Shinsuke had seen him dressed down before. “I’m just letting you know I’m gonna be a while.”

Shinsuke let out a soft, relieved breath and any lingering hestitation Corey might have had evaporated, not like there was a whole lot there to begin with. “Are you sure?”

“Hey, we have a deal, right? I can’t break my word, they won’t let me back in Pittsburgh if that ever got out.” Shinsuke let out a soft, exhausted sounding chuckle at that and Corey could almost see him leaning against the wall with the phone to his ear. “So I’ll be there. But if you’re able to get to sleep before I get there don’t wait for me.”

“I won’t,” Shinsuke said before hanging up, and Corey knew he’d meant about getting to sleep, not waiting. Shinsuke didn’t call him like this often so Corey knew to move when he did. He couldn’t believe he’d been thoughtless enough to realized he’d get one tonight, he’d had the best seat in the house for that heartbreak of a match.

Corey checked himself out in the mirror, debating doing his hair up again but decided no, this was probably fine and anyway, that was time he didn’t have. He was sure Byron wouldn’t mind him taking the rental. And really, if he had a problem with it he shouldn’t have let Corey hold the keys.

***

Middle of the night traffic and doing a consistent thirty miles over the speed limit let Corey make record time. He knocked lightly on Shinsuke’s door, feeling exposed standing in the hallway where anyone from the Smackdown roster could bust him. While waited for Shinsuke to answer Corey thought back to the first time they’d done this, the week after Joe had ambushed Shinsuke and forced Corey to watch him get stretchered out. Corey had barely slept that week and he’d been surprised by the intensity of his reaction, the way the images would intrude on him when he’d least expected it. He seen lots of guys get banged up and carted off over his career and never lost a second’s sleep over it. He knew there’d be assumptions he was overidentifying if he tried to talk to anyone about it and yes, there was that, he’d admitted as much on air, but it wasn’t just that. It wasn’t like he’d had nightmares about Sami getting carted out. That whole week Corey had thought about calling Shinsuke to see how he was doing, but while they’d been friendly enough back then Corey hadn’t been sure they were close that way. 

So pushing all that down worked about as well as Corey could have expected. By the time he’d flown back to Florida to do production he’d been boiling over; he stepped off the plane, threw his bags into his rental and drove past his hotel right to Shinsuke’s door. Corey still remembered that moment of terrible clarity in between him ringing the bell and waiting for an answer that he was acting like a crazy person, what was _wrong_ with him?

But before he could flee into the night and save some dignity Shinsuke had opened the door, much too quickly for Corey to have woken him up. Shinsuke had looked rightly astonished to see him standing at his door and, to Corey’s genuine confusion, delighted. _How did you know I couldn’t sleep?_

Later that night in bed Corey had told him _If you ever have trouble sleeping again, you call me. If I’m anywhere near the same time zone I’ll be there. I’ll figure it out._

Corey Graves was not a man who make idle promises. His thoughts were interrupted by the door opening; Shinsuke looked like he hadn’t slept in years instead of just one night, his hair pulled back into a messy ponytail and still wearing the clothes Corey had seen him leave the arena in. His eyes lit up when he saw Corey and Corey fought the urge to squirm. He didn’t know how he did it but Shinsuke had a way of looking at him that made Corey feel like he was back in the throes of his most ardent teenage crush. It would be upsetting if Corey didn’t like Shinsuke looking at him like that so much. 

He quickly hustled Corey inside and kissed him hard up against the closed door, in that desperate way he only did after bad nights and hard losses. Corey kissed him back before gently pushing him back just enough to shrug his coat off. Shinsuke took the opportunity to trail his hands through Corey’s loose hair. “I like it like this,” he said. “Longer than I thought.”

Corey shook his hair to show off the full, frankly overdue for a hair cut volume, even he thought the pompadour was getting a little high. Shinsuke playing with it like this was certainly making him put that off, though. 

Corey kissed him again before Shinsuke’s mind could wander back to the match earlier that night, trailing his hands down Shinsuke’s thighs and trying not to get ahead of himself with thoughts of those long legs over his shoulders. He had one job tonight and that was to make sure Shinsuke couldn’t think of _anything_ , especially not Jinder Mahal scurrying away with what should have been his title. The room was a solo suite and Corey kissed him back toward the bed, pausing only long enough to peel off his T-shirt. “You finished it!” Shinsuke said, trailing his fingertips over Corey’s newly finished chest piece.

“Huh? Oh yeah, finally found the time to sit and get it done.” It was still just a little tender, actually; Corey felt his eyes flutter as Shinsuke seemed determined to trace every line. From the way Shinsuke was intently watching his face that seemed to be exactly the reaction he’d wanted. 

Corey tugged Shinsuke’s shirt off and watched him lay back on the bed, his expression darkening. “I was _so close_.”

Maybe Shinsuke wanted to wallow a little bit. Okay, Corey could do that too. He leaned over Shinsuke, his thigh pressed between Shinsuke’s legs just hard enough to tease as he kissed his way up his jaw. “You are going to be champion,” Corey said right into Shinsuke’s ear. “You are going to look across that ring and see Mahal or whoever it is when you get your next shot across the ring down and distracted and you will know this is the moment.” He kissed Shinsuke’s neck and felt him arch under him. “Then you’ll wait, and size them up until the position is perfect, until the whole crowd his singing your theme because they all feel it. He’ll see it coming but he won’t be able to move. He’ll just watch that Kinshasa come at his head and then he’ll be sprawled at your feet.”

“I like when you talk,” Shinsuke said, his eyes hooded. He’d started rocking his hips while Corey had been talking and Corey increased the pressure just enough to make his breath catch.

“Good thing that’s one of my many talents,” Corey said, trailing his tongue along the hollow of Shinsuke’s throat before sliding his hands past his waistband. If Shinsuke wanted him to he’d talk himself hoarse, to hell with the show later tonight. Corey was a professional but some things just took priority.

***

The sun was up and full on his face when Corey blearily realized his phone was ringing. Shinsuke was sprawled across him and Corey needed to stretch to grab his phone from where he’d tossed it to the floor sometimes during the night. “What, what is it?” he said, not looking at to see who it was.

Fortunately for him it wasn’t Vince or Hunter, although the split second when he hadn’t been sure was a close enough taste of hell. “ _Where are you_?” Renee’s voice hissed at him, clearly infuriated but trying to keep it down. “You were supposed to meet me for breakfast and we have a production meeting in…ten minutes. Now nine minutes.”

Well, there wasn’t a whole lot he could say to that. And the silence seemed to do his talking for him. “Oh my God, do not tell me you’re still in Michigan.”

“Not…still? I mean, I am in Michigan, but I’m back in, not still---”

“I knew I saw you get in last night! The hell, Graves? You’re going to be lucky if they let you call Main Event after this.”

“I had to.” Renee was one of the best scoffers he’d ever met, people on the other side of the planet knew how hard she was scoffing at him right now. “I had to,” he said again. “Cover for me, please. I’ll get there as soon as I---”

“No, it’s fine,” she said and Corey closed his eyes in relief. Renee might give him a hard time but she always, always backed him up. “I mean, not fine, but I’ll deal with it. The meeting shouldn’t be anything big, HOPEFULLY. I’ll come up with something. Just get here by five. Six at the absolute latest.” She sighed. “And tell him we all think he got robbed.”

Corey winced. “Am I that transparent?”

“There may have been a pool.”

“Oh God. Was Byron in on it?”

“What? No, God. What kind of friend do you think I am, there’s no way he wouldn’t blab all over twitter.”

“That’s why you’re my favorite.”

“Yeah yeah, later Tom will be your favorite, I’m wise to you, Graves.” The sound when muffled, like she was covering the speaker. “Gotta go and cover your ass. _Be here._ And I don’t know, get some tea with honey and lemon, you sound like hell. Ugh, I don’t believe Tom was right, I owe him twenty bucks….” she said, her voice trailing off as she ended the call. 

Corey smiled and nudged the phone back onto the bedside table. 

“Who was that?” Shinsuke murmured, saying it in sleepy Japanese before correcting himself.

“Nothing. Telemarketer. Go back to sleep.”

“When do you have to leave?”

“I have time.”

Shinsuke nodded, wrapping one arm tight around him and kissing the tattoo on his neck before his his breathing went soft and deep again.

Corey played with Shinsuke’s hair, feeling himself starting to drift off again too. He might have even bought himself another six hours. He kissed Shinsuke’s forehead, liking the way that made him snuggle even tighter against him. “Call me any time for this. Call any time. I'll be there.”


End file.
